Intimate Apparel
Dressing in the eighteenth-century was quite the process. From hoops, stays, stockings and pockets, there was a lot of dressing to be done before the actual dress was put on. Delve into these articles on Georgian undergarments, and discover why dressing was often a two-person job!
The Seen and Unseen: Stockings and Garters
In Georgian polite society poise and posture were of utmost importance. Essential to the elegance of the lower limbs was the use of stockings and garters.
The Process of Dressing
The idea of underwear as separate from outerwear is relatively recent. In fact, underwear that we know today did not appear until the nineteenth century.
Taming the Body: Stays
The corset, confining women and distorting their bodies in the name of fashion, is perhaps the most controversial garment in the history of western fashion.
Preposterous Proportions: Hoops and Panniers
Although once fashionable, hoops grew to such dramatic and ridiculous proportions that they were soon abandoned at the end of the eighteenth century.
A Secret Place: Pockets and Privacy
In a society with very little privacy, women’s tie-on pockets, worn close to the body, embodied security and secrecy for one’s personal possessions.